A Stitch in Time (Quilt Trilogy, Volume 1)

Description

Hannah is the strong one. The one who cares for her brothers and sisters; the one who's kept the family together. But now, everything is changing. Her father is more distant, and her siblings are starting lives of their own. That's when Hannah decides to make a quilt. A quilt of fabrics from people who are special to the family; people they trust. And when the sisters are separated, Hannah makes sure they each have a piece of the quilt. The quilt she hopes will bring her family together again.

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Customer Reviews

u will love these books!
these are three very good books! i read the last book first because i didn't know it was a series and it was still good! its soooooo interesting. its mysterious, romantic, and just good. i plan on reading the series again!

2009-12-15 | sojaroy91 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Repairing and Blending the Fabric of their Lives
In this first novel of the Quilt trilogy Rinaldi introduces readers to a gentle, compassionate 6-year-old protagonist, Hannah Chelmsford of Salem, Ma. The Revolutionary War has ended; the former colonists are moving West--to the wild frontier of Kentucky where the relations between the Shawnee and Americans are becoming strained, resulting in hostilities on both sides. Back in civilized New England the Chelmsford household, ruled by a domineering patriarch, is in turmoil as a result of secret grudges gradually coming to the fore. Since the death of their mother two sons and three daughters have struggled with self-esteem issues, emotional survival and guilt about the past.

Despite this it remains Hannah's cherished dream to create a family quilt--thereby reconnecting the broken threads of her parents' and sibling's lives. Her request for fabric scraps from some of her friends sparks resentment from her irascible father. This tyrannical man seems to hate his youngest, 12-year-old Cabot, yet he favors his willful, odd-eyed daughter, Thankful over her sisters. In fact Chelsmford blames Hannah, mistress of this dysfunctional family at a tender age, for conniving with Abby's elopement to her Southern beau, and later for urging that he bring Thankful with him on his journey West.

Uneasy whispers about her maligned mother's past creep gradually into the open, as Hannah faces serious challenges: to stitch her own portion of the Quilt, to effect reforms at her father's new textile mill, and to monitor her confused young heart's yearnings between Louis, a lost love now on the frontier, and for Richard, a childhood friend and protector, now a sea captain. This loyal and devoted daughter yearns for peace within her tortured family, secretly dreaming to somehow repair cruel damage done in the painful past. Will she ever achieve freedom from her father's insidious control, whose financial manipulation controls even her fiancé? The carefully-crafted plot is cleverly layered onto an historical setting which includes details about Yankee shipping, the textile industry, and how the near West was won. Makes readers want to continue with the next book to learn how long Hannah must wait.

2008-12-03 | PLUME45 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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A very well-written and interesting work of historical fiction
"Look in your heart. What's there?"
"What's there is trying to keep my family together. Trying to heal the rift in my family. It seems like all my life, I've been trying to make sense of it, to piece it all together."
"Like the quilt?"
"Yes, like the quilt."

Hannah Chelmsford has to hold her family together. That is why she has never been able leave her father's house, to find a separate life for herself. She has become aware of the fact that her family is painfully broken, that there is an undercurrent of secrets and anger in her house, and that she, who has been the one to take care of her brothers and sisters since her mother's death, has to hold all the pieces of her family together, like the many pieces of a quilt.

Set in the post revolutionary war era, A Stitch in Time is very opulent story, abundant with human feelings. Hannah's family has long struggled under a heavy secret, a secret that destroyed her parents marriage and even now seems to be tearing apart her family. Hannah and her two sisters, Abby and Thankful, are making a quilt. At first, only pieces for family are going to be put into it, but they decide to add people who have meant something in their life, those whom they trust. When events tear the sisters far apart, their parts of the quilt link them together, and Hannah hopes that some day the quilt will bring them together again.

I love how Ann Rinaldi weaves so much into the story, which I couldn't put down until I had turned the last page. Nathan Chelmsford, Hannah's father, is distant, cold, indifferent, overbearing. He refuses to allow Hannah and Abby marry the men they wish. He is cold and indifferent to Lawrence, because he wishes to paint rather than become a merchant. He is cruel and hardhearted to poor Cabot, whom he seems to hate beyond all things. To Thankful, the only child to inherit his one blue and one green eye, he places all his fatherly love, seeing her as his only perfect child.

Abby elopes with a young Southerner. Lawrence, Hannah's older brother, goes west with their father and Thankful, where he hopes to paint the Indians. Guilt and anxiety plague Hannah, who fears for Thankful's safety. But what could she do, when spiteful and vindictive Thankful threatened Abby's happiness if she was not allowed to go west with her father?

Louis, a young man Hannah was once engaged to, shows up at her door, asking her to take in a half-Indian baby, Louis' child, whose mother was killed by Kentuckians during a raid on a Shawnee village. Can Hannah take the baby for Louis, when there will be danger both to her and the baby in Salem? Many of the townspeople have loved ones in the west, loved ones who are in constant peril from the Shawnee Indians . . . What if they take out their anger and fear on the baby?

And Richard Lander. Hannah's good friend since childhood. Already, he has asked her to marry her twice, once when she was four and he was ten. She has such confused feelings for him, especially when rumors spread about the mysterious destination of his ship, which only his investors, his crew, and he himself know. Can she learn to trust him, and to place her heart in his hands?

This is the first book by Ann Rinaldi that I have read, but I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading the two other books in the Quilt Trilogy, Broken Days and The Blue Door. I think anyone who enjoys historical fiction would love this story, which gives a very accurate depiction of the post revolutionary war era in Salem, Massachusetts, and the kind of life the townspeople would live during that time. This is definitely a book better suited to teenagers than younger readers, because it deals with some mature and serious subjects.

2008-07-14 | mum2twelve | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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WONDERFUL!!!
This book was great! WOW! To tell you the truth, it wasn't one of the best Ann Rinaldi books I've ever read, but hey, it passes. Fifteen year-old Hannah Chelmsford has a mixed up life: a seperated family we could call it. Her father is a mean old man who won't allow either Hannah or Abby(his oldest daughters) to marry who they wish, he won't let his son Lawrence marry or paint, and his youngest son he hates beyond all things. Thankful is his favorite, and the only "perfect" Chelmsford in her father's eyes. Well, Hannah's mother is dead, and she takes it as her job to hold the family together. She even starts on a quilt with her two sisters. They each have a cloth, and patch together peices of people they love and trust in their lives. When her youngest brother, Cabot, runs off to sea, a secret about their mother is revealed, and Hannah finds her true love, Richard. Later in the story, we find out that when father, Lawrence, and Thankful were on their trip west, Thankful is taken by Indians. Read this to find out the rest...it's great!

2003-07-23 | Helpful Votes: 5 | Rating: 5

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Not the best Rinaldi
The story of a rich New England family in the post revolutionary war era. It centers around three sisters who are beginning a quilt together. Only people who have touched their lives will contribute a piece of fabric to the quilt. The sisters seperate but you realize the families will be reunited in books later in the series. This novel seemed more contrived than most of Rinaldi's novels but still thrilling. Worth a read but if you haven't yet become a Rinaldi fan I would recommend Cast Two Shadows or A Break with Charity first.

2003-06-23 (Wassenaar, The Netherlands) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Leigh Ann's Civil War (Great Episodes)

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9780152065133
• Notes: BUY WITH Assurance, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and servicing to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Mould: New

Description

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Customer Reviews

Not the Best Ann Rinaldi but Still Good
As other reviewers have noted there is too much going on in this novel. This book is not merely about a fictional girl living in the Civil War but about a girl whose family life is at odds before the war ever begins. Her mother becomes a whore and the father is a Cherokee Indian who stayed in Georgia. Her siblings are stable and try to hold the family together but they are troubled. I enjoyed the book more in the middle of the story and was disappointed in how the story ended. The story tends sputter out at the end but not end in a well developed way. The writing can be very interesting but in the end leads nowhere.

2010-04-28 | The ESOL Teacher (Webster, NY United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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A Difficult Beginning and Maybe a Little Too Much Going On?
This was a strange book, and not at all what I was expecting. The prologue turned me off so much I put the book aside for a couple weeks and had to force myself back to it. It wasn't until Chapt 5 that I really became interested in the characters and the story, although I began to enjoy it after that point.

The prologue hammered me with too many characters and a situation so complex that it confused me to no end. I rather wish the author had not used it as a prologue, but simply inserted it chronologically in the plot where it belonged.

The first couple chapters continued in the same vein, offering expository dialogue that seemed designed to explain the family to the reader. I would rather have had the narrator explain it directly than give it to us in difficult-to-believe dialogue. And Leigh Ann did have a strange family situation: She was half-Cherokee, although she didn't know it. Her father was slowly succumbing to dementia, and her mother had abandoned the family years ago for a succession of flings with powerful/rich men. Leigh Ann was raised by her older siblings Louis, Teddy, and Viola. The father, while still living, had little authority in the house, and the harridan of a mother showed up periodically to berate her children and hit them with a riding crop (which she carries in almost every scene).

Add to all of this the Civil War, the arrest of the mill-workers by the Northern army, an illicit plan to ransom the mill-owner's wife and sisters back to him, Leigh Ann masquerading as a boy for part of the novel, and a mystical owl sent by Leigh Ann's brother - and you have an awful lot of stuff for one 300 page novel. I did care about these characters, but I wish the author had either left out some of these plot strands ... or written a longer book that did them all justice.

2010-02-08 (Chester County, Pennsylvania) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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There is Better
Not gripping or interesting to me. The dialogue is on par with Diff'rent Strokes, and the themes are just archetypes. Juvenile readers (and their parents) who are interested in the Civil War should try Across Five Aprils and others, not this dumbed down stuff.

2010-02-02 | Jr. (Mid-West) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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Virginia girl in civil war
This book is set in the Civil War times. Fourteen-year old Leigh Ann's troubles start when her brothers go off to war for the Confederate side, and continue when she puts a French flag on top of the family mill, making them look like Union supporters. Her brother makes her dress as a boy and go off to war as a 'bummer.' The adventures ends when, well, you will have to find that out for yourself. This is a captivating and suspenseful book.

2010-01-18 | Umm Lila (Mt. Monadnock USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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A Story of What Really Makes a Hero
First, if you have ever read Ann Renaldi before, this is classic Renaldi. She runs two story lines, one rooted in historical fact and another that is rooted in a spiritual world. In this case the first story is about a civil war era factory town in the south, and the second is a story of Cherokee spirituality. Other themes that Renaldi seems to champion are girls passing themselves off as boys and a happy endings and they are all here. Please don't read this as formulaic or a retread, but it is in the same vein as some of her other books, so if you liked those, you'll like this one too.

The main character is seen as a hero for her attempts to save the towns mill from being destroyed by Union troops by placing a French flag atop its roof (a little advice, do well in advance of an enemy's approach don't wait till the last minute.) However, her sacrifice and effort to help her family is where her true heroism shows.

The spiritual story line weaves through the story and brings a mystical aspect to the book. It seemed a little confusing for me, but did not take away from the descriptions of the historic era. The author brings out a lot of good points about the abuses in the factories. Definitely a recommend.

2010-01-12 | alaskanoutfitting.com (St Paul, MN) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Juliet's Moon

Description

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Customer Reviews

Juliet's Moon
Even though I got the feeling that this book was writen for people a little younger than me, it was well writen and I really enjoyed it. I want a brother like Seth!

2009-06-07 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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girl power historical fiction
This Civil War story takes place in Missouri in 1863 and features a 12-year old heroine whose brother is part of Quantrill's Raiders, a renegade band of Confederate soldiers. Her adventures include being sent with other girls to a Yankee prison, killing a Yankee soldier (shades of Gone with the Wind), and being kidnapped by a half-crazy confederate soldier.
I thought this book painted a very positive picture of Quantrill's Raiders, who are portrayed as kindly Southern gentlemen, when they actually performed many atrocities. I was a bit surprised by this whitewashing, especially from this particular author, who generally writes excellent historical fiction.

2008-12-17 (Claremont, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 3

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A Pleasant Read
This novel is set during the War Between the States era and focuses on a young girl and her trials and tribulations as her brother rides with some Confederate raiders. It has a wealth of information in it and is a nice easy read. My Mother and I both read it and enjoyed it immensely.

2008-11-17 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Accessible History
In her usual accessible style, Ann Rinaldi brings to life another chapter of U.S. history in Juliet's Moon. This time Ms. Rinaldi has chosen the Civil War, with her setting in Missouri among the families of the men of Quantrill's Raiders. The Raiders were notorious during the War, often leading strikes filled with death and destruction in retaliation for the Union's advances into the South. Ms. Rinaldi built her story around a real incident in which the female relatives of the Raiders were imprisoned in a house which tragically fell in on them, killing many and wounding many more. The main character of Juliet's Moon, Juliet Bradshaw, is fictional, yet her story is compelling as she tells of events surrounding the time through her thirteen year old eyes.

Ms. Rinaldi has a gift for bringing historical fiction to life, and she often chooses somewhat more obscure events to write about. This book is no exception; by inserting a fictional family into the mix, she is able to give us a glimpse of the terror and the sometimes surreal characters of the times. That said, I was a little disappointed in the lack of depth from this story; while I loved Juliet's spirit, it did seem as though the incident involved was compressed and Juliet's age kept her from being a more involved participant. Just increasing her age a little bit would have given her more insight into the happenings going on around her. I did enjoy the relationship between Juliet and her brother Seth, and felt Rinaldi did a credible job of showing Seth's conflicts. I just wish there had been more--more explanation, more drama, more depth. Still, Rinaldi's gift for writing historical fiction that brings the past alive for the young adult audience kept me turning the pages, though technically I would have given this one 3.5 stars.

2008-08-08 | taminator40 (Nashville, TN USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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Dark Side
Ann Rinaldi's new book, Juliet's Moon, introduces the reader to several of the Civil War's less savory characters; William Clark Quantrill, Sue Mundy (aka Jerome Marcellus Clarke) and William "Bloody Bill" Anderson.
While it certainly is an interesting read and serves the purpose of introducing these rogues to the teen reading public, Juliet's Moon adds a sugar coating that tempers their true ferocity. These men were notorious murderers, responsible for hundreds of innocent deaths. Some of the upright boys that rode with them were Frank and Jesse James, and the Younger brothers. William Anderson, was known to possess a necklace with the scalps of Union soldiers attached. Ms. Rinaldi chooses to portray these guerillas as kindly southern gentlemen just doing what had to be done to protect their own. The "All's fair in love and war' philosophy.

The writing was spot on, as usual for a Rinaldi book. She has an uncanny knack of drawing her audience back in time and quietly passing on a history lesson as she goes. In that respect, this book is on the mark as well. However, by presenting the aforementioned characters in such a favorable light, she, perhaps, is doing the readers a disservice.

2008-04-30 (Kentucky) | Helpful Votes: 6 | Rating: 3

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Sarah's Ground

Description

All my life I have done what my
family wanted. I have performed
and made them happy. Until now.
Now I have broken out on my own

Sarah Tracy has spent her entire life under constant supervision, always under the thumb of one older sibling or another. Now, at eighteen it's time for her to get married, so she is sent to dinner parties, plays, teas, soirees, talks, and chaperoned walks -- always accompanied, always watched.

Sarah's tired of it -- tired of being shipped around, tired of being reminded that it's time to find a suitable husband. She knows that a husband is definitely not what she wants. But the year is 1861 and it's not proper for girls of Sarah's age to be single or independent.

Then Sarah sees an advertisement looking for a young woman to oversee Mount Vernon, the beloved, though now dilapidated, family home of George Washington. Intent on securing the position, she lies to her family and her potential employer, and she becomes mistress of this decaying symbol of American freedom.

And then comes the American Civil War. As battles rage around her, Sarah is determined to create a haven of peace at Mount Vernon. With consummate skills, feminine wiles, and a true sense of diplomacy, Sarah single-handedly manages to keep Mount Vernon out of the war. But while she is able to influence generals, soldiers, and even the president, she learns she doesn't hold such sway over her own heart -- as she also discovers true love.

Based on a true story, this is the amazing tale of one girl's path to womanhood.

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Customer Reviews

sarah's ground
I received the book in less than a week and it was in very good condition.

2009-11-30 (Coatesville PA USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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It'll hold your interest only because the main characters were real.
"Sarah's Ground" is a very mature book author Ann Rinaldi wrote. I found it interesting that she chose to employ the use of a diary method, yet kept the use of chapters and didn't use dates for each entry - just a double space between each one. The story was a bit slow moving, and I would have enjoyed reading more about the refurbishing of the house. I had no idea that Mount Vernon was neutral ground during the Civil War, much less that there was a Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. What further astonished me was that there really a Sarah Tracy and Upton Herbert, and I was blown away to find out in Rinaldi's author's note that they were real people. If only for that reason read this book. I "sorta" recommend

2006-04-24 (USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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A nice, quiet read
Rinaldi has the most wonderful gift: she can take the tiniest, unknown aspect of history and make it as a brilliant as a star.

True to her talent, she once again chooses a lesser known event in history and gives it depth and dimension.

If you're looking for a highly devoloped romance, this isn't it. If you're looking for bloody action scenes from the Civil War... this isn't it. Instead, "Sarah's Ground" offers the point of view of a young woman and her struggle to remain neutral during the escalation of violence between the Union and Confederacy. She makes it her duty to protect Mount Vernon, where George Washington made his home decades before.

This book is a quiet, relaxing read in which you can easily whittle away the afternoon.

2005-07-17 (United States) | Helpful Votes: 4 | Rating: 3

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Boooorrriiiinnnnggg
This book is SO boring just like any other Ann Rinaldi book except for "The Coffin Quilt" it was pretty good. Don't waste your time reading it because after a month you'll forget what happened in the book.

2004-08-29 | Lisa (United States) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 2

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Vivid slice of well-known American history.
This historical novel, set during the tumultuous times of the Civil War, profiles the work of Sarah Tracy, a young woman who is determined to lead an independent life. Sarah is tired of her family's constant supervision and their reminders that it's time for her to find a suitable husband. So she lies to her family and potential employer in order to secure a position as caretaker of Mount Vernon, George Washington's former home.

Sarah's struggle to keep Mount Vernon's grounds neutral, practically sitting on the border of the North and South and within miles of bloody conflicts, brings her into contact with famous figures from the Civil War, including Abraham Lincoln. She must decide how to handle the African-American servants working at Mount Vernon, whose status is unclear. She also has to work closely with Upton Herbert, a gracious Southern gentleman who becomes very important to her.

Ann Rinaldi, a historical re-enactor herself, certainly knows how to make the past interesting. Her main characters are three-dimensional and relatable; teens will be able to sympathize with Sarah and understand why she is so annoyed with her family. It's a shame though that the Epilogue feels the need to defend Rinaldi's artistic license. Most people should understand that a historical novel might embellish a story to make it interesting to the modern reader.

The author explains in the Epilogue that she invented the storyline of Sarah's friend Mary and their argument over Upton Herbert. Stories in which women argue over a man are disappointing and should almost always be avoided. Luckily, though, this story has enough going for it to overcome that problem. The Epilogue does refer to Sarah and Upton's future, answering questions that readers will no doubt want answered.

Ann Rinaldi once again brings to vivid life a slice of little-known American history in a way that will have readers wanting to learn more about Mount Vernon and Sarah's history.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

2004-06-16 (New York, NY) | Helpful Votes: 7 | Rating: 5

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Time Enough for Drums

Description

Sixteen-year-old Jem struggles to maintain the status quo at home in Trenton, New Jersey, when the family men join the war for independence.

There are signs of rebellion in the Emerson household several years before the actual American Revolution hits in 1776! Brought up in a relatively liberal household, Jemima Emerson is quite a challenge for her tutor, John Reid, who is known as a Tory with strong ties to England. How could Jem's parents be friends with a man who opposes American freedom? Jem longs for freedom on every level, in the home and her homeland--and John represents the forces that restrict her.

Jem and her family soon find themselves fighting for freedom in whatever ways they can in the Revolutionary War. Before long, Jem discovers that there is much more to Mr. Reid than she ever imagined. Her feelings about him change when Jem realizes that John shares her love of freedom--and will risk his life to defend it.

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Customer Reviews

Good beginning, boring end
I enjoyed Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi, although it was not her best work. The beginning of the book, when Jem is still young and frivolous, is the most captivating part of the book. However, when I entered the second part of the book, I found it to be both repetitive and droning. Birthdays passed too quickly, but yet Rinaldi kept describing the same things again and again. The only thing that truly kept me going in this book was the romance. Yes, I must admit I did wish to see the two get married, but it seemed a hard price to pay, as I had to read of Jemina's never-ending hardships for pages and pages before the story became a little more light-hearted.

"'Time enough for drums.' `What do you mean, Lucy?' I asked her. `Drums on the battlefield,' she said; `time enough for drums.' There was silence all around the table. `Well, tonight let us enjoy each other's company,' Father finished. `There is time enough for drums.'" (Rinaldi 111).

However, there were some aspects of the book I enjoyed greatly. The tearing apart of the Emerson family, as horrible as it was, gave a real picture of the hardships during the time and how the war did divide the country almost as the Civil War did: between the Patriots, the Emersons' cause, and the Tories, sister Becky's cause. The descriptions of the hardships of the time truly drove home how horrible the war was. However, as I mentioned earlier, this book could have used a little more light and hope to combat all the dark and misery, especially in the second half.

2010-01-09 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Omgdness!!!!
OMG... THIS BOOK IS JUST GOOD!!!!!
it was both funny and cute!!! once i picked it up it was very hard to put it down. its a really good book. one of my favorite ones by ann rinaldi! its worth every penny u might spend on it!

2009-12-15 | sojaroy91 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Time Enough For Drums
I got this book for Christmas and i finished it that day. It's a book you just can't put down. It's about Jemima(Jem)Emmerson, who's 15 when the story starts. The war becomes reality when her brother joins the millitia and her mother starts writing letters under a psudonym to a local newspaper asking for supplies for the army. These letters end up making something very bad happen to the family. When her father employs a tutor for her that is a tory she hates him nd treats her very badly. Then Jemima finds a coded message that tells her that John Reid(her tutor)is a spy for Washington then she gets to know him and falls in love with him. Then her younger brother goes away to the army too, and she and her mother are left home and worrying. This is a really good book. I don't really like that Jemima sort of looses the spirit she has at the begining; sassy, fun, and willed. But it's still really good.

2008-01-06 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Another of my Favorites!!!!
Jem is probably my favorite character out of all the Ann Rinaldi books!! She's stubborn and high spirited , I reread this book every chance I get and never tire of it. I don't know which Ann Rinaldi books are my favorite the Revoultionary or the Civil War? But I do know that I Love them all!!!

2007-10-05 | "san diego sun" (Sunny California) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Time Enough For A Good Read
Romance, tragedy, and life lessons are all wonderfully displayed in this novel, set during the period of the Revolutionary War. TIME ENOUGH FOR DRUMS, by Ann Rinaldi, is the story of Jem, a rebellious Patriot teenage girl, whose family is torn apart by the war. Her father is persecuted for not selling tea, her mother has a war "secret" of her own, the war beckons both of her brothers, and on top of all that, she clashes with her Tory tutor. Through the ups and downs of her life, Jem learns some important life lessons the hard way but comes out on top, and learns that people are not always what they seem. The reader learns that there is always, "time enough for drums." This novel keeps you wanting to know more and more about Jem and what is going to happen next in her life. It is also an additional bonus, how Ann Rinaldi uses accurate historical events, to base her book upon. If you love to be entertained while you read, than this book is definitely for you!

2006-03-01 | HF (Rome, Italy) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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The Family Greene

Product Details

• Notes: BUY WITH Assurance, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and serving to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Health circumstances: New
• ISBN13: 9780547260679

Description

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Customer Reviews

Eh, Ann Rinadi, I may have fallen out of love with your writing.
Eh, Ann Rinadi, I may have fallen out of love with your writing. I was excited to see that she had gone back to writing about the Revolutionary Period and the north, but alas the story ends up back in the south and after the war.

The story is separated into two sections. The first section focuses on Caty, who becomes the wife of Nathanael Greene. She's twelve years his junior but they fall in love anyway. She also learns that in a world in which women have limited means of agency she has to use her "womenly charms" in order to have any power. Or at least that's what the book claims.

The second section is told in the point of view of Caty's daughter Cornelia who may or may not be the love child of General Wayne and Caty.

Writing wise Caty and Cornelia as children have no real character differences between them. Caty as an adult becomes a harping shrew who is cruel to both her children and the men in her life. No explanation is given, she's just mean along with her oldest daughter Martha. This theme of the evil mother/stepmother and/or sister is common in Rinaldi's books. The men however, are usually saints. I'm getting tired of it.

There is also basically no plot in The Family Greene, sans the manufactured paternity drama. Where's the rich characterization al la The Fifth of March? Or Finishing Becca? Enough with the southern belles and dramatic family sagas Ann Rinaldi. It's not working.

PS. The cover? Depicting the completely wrong time period. The story ends in 1801. The women on the cover appear to be more if the antebellum or Civil War period.

2010-05-18 (New York, United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 2

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Another good young adult historical novel by Ann Rinaldi.
In 1764, the year she turns ten years old, Caty Littlefield's mother dies and her father decides she must leave her home on Block Island to live on the mainland, where she can receive a proper education for a young lady in the home of her aunt and uncle. While living there, she learns of the growing unrest in the colonies that will eventually lead to war. She also meets her future husband, Nathanael Greene. Shortly after their marriage, the American Revolution begins and Caty eventually follows her husband, a general in the American army, to war.

Years later, Caty's own daughter, Cornelia, who is eight years old when her part of the story begins, is growing up on the Greene family's plantation in Georgia. Cornelia loves her father, a good man who is kind to his children, and is disturbed by her mother's behavior, as it appears she may be unfaithful to her husband. Cornelia is even more disturbed when her cruel older sister, Martha, suggests to Cornelia that Nathanael Greene may not be her father, that Cornelia may have been born from her mother's affair with General Anthony Wayne during the war. Cornelia is desperate to know the truth, but at the same time she is worried that the father who raised her will be deeply hurt by her mother's behavior and the possibility she may have had a child with another man.

Although not my very favorite book by Ann Rinaldi, I did enjoy reading The Family Greene. I especially liked the historical setting, since I have always enjoyed reading historical fiction set around the time of the American Revolution. Despite Cornelia's young age when the story begins (and she does seem a bit mature for her age at times, but some of that may be because in the 18th century children were expected to grow up faster), this is definitely a young adult book, due to the themes/plot which younger readers would likely have a hard time understanding. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction set in this time period, or who have read and enjoyed other books by Ann Rinaldi.

2010-05-08 (USA) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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